Slapshot - Blast Furnace

Slapshot need no introduction. They put (Boston) HC “Back on the map”. Starting out with a very Oi-influenced sound they provided a blueprint for many bands that followed, both musically and with respect to the tough guy SxE image that they portrayed.

To me Slapshot are one of the very(!) few bands that actually only got better with time (or at least not worse – which says a lot). Sure, the early classics like "Step on it "and "Sudden Death Overtime" will always have a special place in my heart, but their later records like "16 Valve Hate" or "Digital Warfare" are just awesome in-your face HC, that make you want to smash something or someone.

So if you are a true Slapshot fan and/or some sort of HC completionist, who needs to collect everything, chances are that you already have this album. However, there seem to be few people who actually like this record, including the band itself. Slapshot’s official band page dismisses this EP that was released 1993 on the German “We Bite” label with 2 sentences:

“The band's next album, "Blast Furnace", took about 2 weeks to write and about 3 days to record, and the band members were sick of it before it even came out. However, that was album number one of a three-album deal - that's how the band saw it.”

So what’s wrong with this album? Nothing, I say. It’s just not the typical Slapshot sound that one had gotten to expect and which they seamlessly pick up again on their later releases.

Choke (Jack Kelly) is the only original member on this release, and for lack of better words it is an experimental album on which Slapshot ventures into heavy metal and maybe even grunge (it was the time, you know…).

The sound is rather slow and pounding in both drums and guitar riffs. However, it never drags on too much and is mostly quite catchy. “Wired” is a real stomper with a glam-rock beat, but also some Nine-inch Nails-inspired whirring sound effects. The song “Another Mistake” is an updated heavy version of “The same mistake”, which was originally included on “Step on it”. The title song Blast Furnace is one of my favorite Slapshot songs. It’s got all the aggression and intensity that you want in your Slapshot songs, but has a lot of things going on to keep it interesting.

Overall, the sound of this EP reminds me in many parts of Prong’s sound at that time (ca. Beg to Differ). Finally, the abundant sound samples (at least for a HC band) and movie excerpts that lead in and out of most of the songs add to the “experimental” feel of the record.

I like that kind of stuff, but clearly it’s not for everyone, particularly if you have strong preconceptions as to what a classic HC band has to sound like.

Blast Furnance